Back rest cover



Oct. 2, 1934. w FRY 1,975,599

BACK REST COVER Filed Dec. 1, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 awventoz Wa/ler Z. fry

@Qfh/ s Gum/mew Oct. 2, 1934. V w. 1.. FRY 1,975,599

' BACK REST COVER Fiied Dec. 1, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Wo/ter Z- fry- BY /7/. -ATTORNEY$ Oct. 2, 1934. w Y 1,975,599

BACK REST COVER Filed Dec. 1, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 2, 1934 s'r'res BACK REST COVER Walter 1.. Fry, Scarsdale, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Hoguet & N eary, New York,

31., a firm composed of John F. Neary,

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in seat covers and particularly to removable covers for the upholstered back rests of seats in motor vehicles.

Removable covers for the back rests of seats in motor vehicles have oftentimes been held in place at their upper edges on the back rest by various types of securing means, while in some cases the lower edge of the cover has been permitted to hang freely. In cases where the lower edge of the back rest cover is not held in place there is a tendency to wrinkle and it may not lie smoothly and snugly over the back rest.

It is desirable to secure a back rest cover in ;place at its lower edge as well as at its upper edge so that the cover will lie neatly and smoothly upon the back rest and will not become displaced and wrinkled in use. It is also desirable that the fastening means which secure the back rest cover in place at its lower edge be of such nature that an unskilled person may readily apply the cover to the back rest so that it fits neatly and accurately.

A feature of the present invention is a fastening means of simple construction for securing a back rest cover in place at its lower edge.

In each of the embodiments of my invention which will be described the back rest cover is provided at its upper edge with a reinforcing and strain distributing bar which carries fastening members having shanks adapted to be inserted between the back rest and its support to hold the cover in place on the upper edge of the back rest. The lower edge of the cover is also provided with stiffening members adapted to lie between the back rest and seat cushion to assist in holding the lower edge of the cover in place on the back rest.

The cover has fastening tapes attached thereto at each of its side edges. In one embodiment these tapes extend through guides positioned beneath the lower edge of the back rest and located at the sides of the frame which supports the cushion. The tapes extend across the seat frame and are adapted to be drawn taut and secured for exerting a downward pull on the cover at its side edges so that the cover is held snugly in place on the back rest.

In a second embodiment of my invention the tapes are elastic and are provided at their ends with members for securing the end of the elastic tapes in place beneath the cushion. These members are metallic plates each having a recess adapted to extend around a screw on the seat frame for fastening the plates to the seat frame.

In another embodiment of my invention the tapes at the sides of the cover extend through guide portions of fastening members and beneath the cushion. These members are secured to the seat frame and, in addition to their guide portions, have fastening devices for receiving and holding the tapes when they are drawn taut to secure the cover snugly in place.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the rear seat of an automobile having a back rest cover secured thereto in accordance with one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the seat shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the seat illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, and shows the positions of the tape guiding members relatively to the back rest and on the frame which supports the seat cushion.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an elastic tape and the fastening member which is secured thereto and attached to the seat frame in accordance with another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of the seat and shows the arrangement of a tape guiding and fastening member employed in a still further embodiment.

Figure '7 is a view of one rear corner of the seat frame and illustrates the position in which the tape guiding and fastening member shown in Figure 6 is mounted on the seat frame.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of part of the seat frame and one of the tape guiding and fastening members illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 and shows the manner in which a tape at the side edge of the cover is guided and fastened to hold the cover in place at its lower edge.

Figure 9 is a detail View showing the manner in which a binding at the side edge of the cover may be continued to form a fastening tape.

Referring to the drawings, the seat may comprise an upholstered back rest 11 and a seat cushion 12 supported by a structure 13 including a frame 14 on which the cushion 12 rests. The removable back rest cover 15 of the present invention is a sheet of suitable fabric of a size to cover the front, top and sides of the back rest. The upper edge of ,the cover 15 may be secured in place on the back rest in any suitable manner.

In the arrangement shown the upper edge of the cover 15 is shaped substantially to the contour of the upper rear edge of the back rest and is. preferably provided with a hem encasing a reinforcing and strain distributing bar 17 conforming to the contour of the upper rear edge of the back rest. The bar 17 carries fastening members 18 projecting through openings in the hem and having shanks which are inserted between contiguous surfaces of the back rest 11 and the adjacent part of the seat structure 13 to secure the upper edge of the cover 15 and the reinforcing bar 17 on the upper rear edge of the back rest. However, it should be understood that various other types of fastening means may be employed to hold the cover in place at its upper edge.

A finishing binding 20 of suitable matching material may be applied to the upper and side edges of the cover. This binding may comprise a tape folded over the cover material to bind these edges.

In order that the cover 15 may fit evenly and snugly over the front of the back rest 11 and be held securely in place at its lower edge, flexible fasteners, such as tapes 21, are attached in any suitable manner to the lower portion of the cover at its side edges. If desired, the binding 20 for the side edges of the cover may be continued as shown in Figure 9 to form the fastening tapes 21 for the lower edge of the cover.

The tapes 21 are adapted to extend through guide members positioned beneath the back rest 11 adjacent the sides thereof and secured to the seat frame 14 by suitable fastening devices 24-. Each guide member may comprise a plate 23 carrying a substantially U-shaped guide element 25.

, If desired, the guide elements 25 may be movably secured to the plates 23 in such manner that they may assume a position corresponding substantially to the resultant of the forces acting to draw the tapes 21 downwardly and transversely of the back rest 11 when the tapes are led through the guides and drawn taut.

One of the tapes is provided with a buckle 26, or other fastening device, for engaging the other tape to secure the tapes together when they have been tautened to hold the cover 15 in place at the side edges of the back rest.

Figure 5 illustrates a different form of fastening device for the lower edge of the cover. An elastic tape 30 is secured at one end, in any desirable manner, to a cover 15 adjacent each of its lower side edges. The other end of each tape '30 is suitably secured to a plate 31, preferably metallic, having a notch or slot 32 adapted to extend around a screw or other fastening device 33 on the seat frame 14. On certain types of automobiles the fastening devices 33 are already in place, being utilized in the seat frame structure 14:, and are properly positioned so that they need only be loosened to enter the slots 32 of plates 31 in order to mount the plates on the frame. When the plates 31 are mounted on seat frame 1 1 in this manner the elastic tapes 30 are extended and act to pull downwardly on the cover at its side edges.

Another form of fastening device is illustrated in Figures 6, '7 and 8.

The tapes 40 are attached to the cover and are adapted to extend beneath the seat cushion 12 for engagement with securing members mounted on the seat frame. The securing members are mounted on the seat frame 14 so as to be concealed when the seat cushion 12 is in place and comprise plates 42, preferably of metal, mounted on the frame 14 by fastening means 43: Each plate 12 has an angular guide portion 45 provided with an opening 16 through which a tape 40 is led for attachment to the securing member. The tape 40 is attached to member by engagement with suitable fastening means, such as a buckle 47 carried by the plate 42. A securing member is positioned at each side of the seat frame 14 in such manner that the guide portions 45 lie beneath the lower part of the back rest 11 at the sides thereof.

The central portion of the lower edge of the cover may be provided with a hem 23 within which stiffening members 29 are encased. The stiffening members 29 are adapted to lie and be held between the back rest 11 and seat cushion 12 to assist in securing the lower edge of the cover in place so that it fits the back rest neatly and smoothly.

In applying the back rest cover 15 to the back restll the seat cushion 12 is removed and the upper edge of the cover is spread evenly on the strain distributing bar 1'7. The shanks of the members 18 are pushed down between the back rest 11 and the adjacent part of the seat structure .13, so that the bar 1? lies on the upper rear edge of the back rest. Thus, the members 18 and the bar 17 .hold the upper edge of the cover in place'on the back rest.

The .cover 15 is smoothed over the front and sides of the back and its lower edge with the stiffening members 28 is disposed so as to lie between the back rest 11 and seat cushion 12 when the latter is placed onathe seat frame 14.

When the fastening means for the lower edge of the cover are of the form, illustrated in Figures 1 to '4, the tapes .21 are led through the guides, drawn tautand fastened to each other by means of the buckle 26 for drawing the sides of the cover snugly over the back rest.

If the fastening devices illustrated in Figure '5 are employed the plates 31 are secured to seat frame 14 by screws 33. In the event that screws are already in place at the proper points on the seat frame, as suggested above, they are loosened and the slots 32 passed around the shanks of the screws so that when the latter are again tightened the plates 31 are securely attached to the seat frame. The elastic tapes 30 are thus extended to draw the cover 15 over the-sides of the back rest 11.

Should the cover .15 be provided with the fastening devices illustrated in Figures 6 to 8, the plates 42 are secured to frame 1 1.

The tapes or straps 40 attached to the lower part of the cover at its side edges are passed through the openings 46 in the guide portions 45 of the securing members and through the buckles 47, the tapes being drawn taut so that the side edges of the cover are drawn downwardly over the side edges of the back rest. 7

When the cover 15 has been fitted to the back rest 11 the seat cushion 12 is replaced on the frame '14 concealing the members 31 and holding the stiffening members 18 at the lower edge of the cover between the cushion and back rest, so that the central portion, as well as the side edges at'the lower part of the cover, is held in place on the back rest.

It is to be noted that in each embodiment of my invention the tapes, being held taut either by :being fastened together or to the members 31 exert a downward pull on the back rest cover at each of its side edges. As a consequence, the cover is held snugly in place on the back rest and does not become wrinkled or displaced by being pulled out at the sides under service conditions.

It is also to be noted that the fastening means for securing the cover in place at its upper and lower edges are of such simple construction that an unskilled. person may readily apply the cover to the back rest so that it fits accurately and smoothly and looks well thereon.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the cover which I have provided is of simple construction and that it can be applied or removed with ease. It should also be noted that the cover is held in place at both its upper and lower edges and accurately conforms to the wearing contour of the back rest and presents a neat and finished appearance.

While my invention has been described in its preferred form, there are many changes and variations which may be made without departing from the scope thereof, and I desire to include all such changes and variations within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a seat frame; a back rest; a cover for said back rest; means for securing the upper edge of said cover in place on said back rest; securing members having portions provided with guides lying beneath the lower edge of said back rest; and tapes attached to the sides of said cover and extending downwardly, through said guides and forwardly for attachment to said members.

2. In combination with a seat frame, I a back rest; a cover for said back rest; a bracket fastened to said frame adjacent an edge thereof, said bracket being mounted on said frame forwardly of said back rest and having a portion provided with a guide and a fastening element, said guide lying beneath the lower side of said back rest; a tape attached to said cover and extending downwardly, through said guide, and forwardly to be secured to said fastening element.

3. In combination with a seat frame; a seat cushion; a back rest; a cover for said back rest; means securing the upper edge of said cover in place on said back rest; a pair of brackets mounted on said frame beneath said cushion adjacent opposite side edges of said back rest, each of said brackets having a portion provided with a guide opening and a fastening element; tapes attached to said cover adjacent the side edges of said back rest and extending downwardly, through said guide openings, and forwardly beneath said cushion and adjustably fastened to said fastening elements to secure said cover in place at its lower side edges.

WALTER. L. FRY. 

